How to Make a Button for your Blog?

I'm looking for a very easy step by step directions on how to make a button for my blog- well actually how to get the link back info/grab a button stuff! If you know how or where I can find it please comment below! Thank you so much- this is something I've been trying to do for like a year now!

Photos to My Mother-In-Law

My mother-in-law lives in Florida. And the easiest way we've found to get photos of the kids to her is by uploading them to her photo account at a national chain store. This way she can view them and choose which ones she wants to print. DH uploaded some one day, without my help, and she knew they weren't done by me. lol I make sure to edit them for her so she's getting her monies worth and the most pics. Here is just a snippet of the 64 I uploaded for her today (64 may seem like a lot but I haven't sent her any since May so it's a few months worth!)......

(Man was that a PITA- blogger wasn't letting me upload more than one at a time and then it took multi tries to get each to load!)

Early Morning Deep Thoughts (or I'm Too Slow in the Morning)

My girls and I are the type of people that need at least an hour to wake up and be ready to go for the day. The males in this house are the opposite- the moment their eyes open their ON! and going. They don't stop till the sun is down or their eyes close for the night. Sometimes it takes them falling asleep on their feet to get them to turn off. We're all just different in our styles.

But I'm wondering which style is better? Are those that are constantly in motion living fuller lives? Do they get to experience more because they're cramming more into their days? Or are they missing out on the little things, that by running too quickly by they don't see- like stopping to smell the roses or watching a butterfly land on a flower? Are they using up their bodies energy and ultimately going to live shorter lives- more packed with experiences and never a dull moment but short?

Or are those of us that like to take life in a slower lane missing out on spontaneous life experiences? Are we planning too much and not living? Does living a longer life mean you'll live a life with more meaning or memories? Would we benefit from speeding up a bit? Them from slowing down some? Is there a middle ground where we can meet?

I've been awake for an hour this morning and am already surrounded by 3 of my children. I'm so not ready for them...haha. I need more coffee. More time alone. A few more minutes of darkness (they know it's too early to get up if the suns not up). I need to set deep thoughts aside and find my inner Road Runner and get moving....Beep beep.

Changing It Up Again

I've come to some self-knowledge this morning. I change my blog up (the look of it) when I'm struggling with self. Kind of like when you have an itch to move from your home, and either 1) that's not an option at the moment or 2) you just need a bit of "newness". You may rearrange the furniture or paint a room a new bright color. Neither are much of an option in my house and so when I'm feeling the need for personal change I change the look of my blog! I know I just did this a few weeks ago but I'm probably going to be doing it again soon....today.

I'm not exactly discontent with my life...it's more I'm feeling a bit lost in the area of self. And being a mother it can be hard to know how to get you "back". My blog is like my private room- my office, my studio, just mine. And playing with it is my form of me time.


I read a blog this morning by Hybrid Rasta Mama, the second in a series on Social Networking and Finding Balance. (The first is on Social Networking- A Mother's Best Friend, Arch Enemy, or Something in Between?) She has 9 tips for Balancing Blogging and Mothering (for the nonprofessional blogger). And for the most part I've found these work for me, especially the tip on blogging without children around. I tried in the past and found it takes me 3x as long to write a post that normally takes me just an hour. So I get up early and write- evenings don't work for me, I have a responsibility to my relationship with my husband, to put energy and effort into it and so evenings are for us (with a sprinkling of big kid time too).

But the tip I feel I struggle with most: #3

"Commit to writing about one or two basic themes. For example, I write about natural/peaceful parenting topics as well as real food/traditional diets. I occasionally delve into green living but that is part of the natural parenting philosophy so it still fits with where I want to take my blog. If you constantly switch up the topics you write about, you will struggle. Trust me. Many bloggers I know had a hard time finding their voice and ended up giving up blogging because it was too time consuming. Write about your interests and passions and leave the other topics to the millions of other bloggers out there. You won’t waste time spinning your wheels, trying to write posts outside of your knowledge base or comfort zone. This of course frees up your time." (Hybrid Rasta Mama)

I've often searched for what my blogs "theme" was...trying to streamline what I write about. But I fail miserably at it. I'm all over the place. I'm known to turn to you asking for ideas, inspiration, what you'd like to see or know, just so I have more, or less, to write about. I sat here thinking this morning about What are my themes. Mine are many but I guess the many could be simplified down into 2- Parenting (my experiences) and Photography (my photos). But in some ways #1 still feels so vague to me. I guess it may go along with my current feeling of restlessness and identity loss. I am looking for more direction, in all aspects of my life. 

So here you go again....another change to the appearance of my blog. And when you see it happen again in a few weeks, don't worry...I'm just rearranging the furniture in my living room.   

At This Moment I'm Stuck

I'm kind of stuck for ideas/inspiration at the moment, to write on that is. So please bear with the block. The only things I seem to be able to keep up with is weekly "features" or links up, etc. It happens too often for my liking. Maybe someone out there has something they'd like to know more about or an idea for me? Feel free to suggest some! Thank you for your patience.

Blogger Crash. Can't Comment- Update (Maybe a Fix?)

I've found I still can't comment and am having issues with commenting and Blogger....but only with Internet Explorer. I tried all the different suggestions to get it to work- clearing cache, unchecking remember, etc. but still its not working for here.

What I can do is use MozillaFirefox with no issues. I can comment on my posts, and others with any hassle. So maybe this is all an Internet Explorer/Blogger mix issue. I don't?! I just know this is what's working for me, if anyone else wants to try it out! (This means I'll try and go back and comment on all of yours over the course of the next few days! Yay!)

My OP: Natural Parenting and Politics

I started my parenting young and a few years ago, almost 18 years ago to be exact. When I started out I hadn't done a whole lot of research into what was important and what things I wanted to use (style, models, practices), I winged it. And followed alot of advice from mainstream parenting books. Then were things you did and things you didn't do. There was the right way of parenting and the wrong way. Do this or your child will turn out like this. Do this so your child will be independent. So your child will be smart. So your child will the best. Many of that advice was hard for me to put into practice and I felt many times over like I was failing. I couldn't stay on track, couldn't follow the guide lines. I stoped reading and started doing what felt "right". My parenting style has evolved since then. I don't follow a lot of mainstream advice still, I tend to lean towards a natural parenting style, have found it fits my style and goals, and I don't doubt myself anymore.

But what's starting to become more more obvious is how the political world doesn't like how I, and many many others, are taking on a new way of parenting. Getting back to basics and back to what's natural. What many generations before did. That we are turning away from a way of life that brings money to the pockets of those that run this country and helps us to raise open minded, think for yourself children and adults- people that question first and make decisions that are based upon ALL the information. Thinkers, not sheeple.So many things are being attacked for reasons that just seem like they want to control and take away our choices. They KNOW what's best and we don't need to have those choices.

It started last year with baby carriers. One company made one that was dangerous and now they're all dangerous and need to be regulated. Standards need to be met. I don't totally disagree with this but the standards and tests the government will, more than likely, require will come at a cost that many small businesses will not be able to afford. And in the long run put most out of business.

Then came Highlands Teething Tablets and the governments (FDA) attack. We still are out of this product, with no real end in sight. A homeopathic remedy used by many in the mainstream gone. It took months afterwards for the FDA to issue a warning about the active ingredient in mainstream oral gels (like Orajel) being dangerous and still no recall. We have a choice still to use that product but they took the choice away for the teething tablets. (Wondering why? My theory: One is a non-pharmaceutical company, a natural company- The other a big Pharma company. Can you guess which one?)

Along comes the next big one and most recent. Water Birth Pools. The FDA seized a shipment and was threatening to destroy it. The FDA in its wisdom has deemed them "medical equipment". What does this do? Takes away our choice. Birth pools, for some, go hand in hand in home birth. (I personally desired to labor and birth in a pool with our last son J, but for a few personal reason, mainly lack of hot water- we were having issues with our hot water heater, decided not to use the one I was loaned by my MW. I don't not regret my choice but at least I had the choice.) And home birth is growing, taking business away from hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Home birth=  No Drugs. There are some searching for women that gave birth in a "pool" before 1978, to try and get Birth Pools grandfathered in, to avoid millions of $$, years of "trials", to make them accessable. (See this blog for more information.) But again this all boils down to the government making sure we're "safe", according to them- but it seems like it has more to do with the bottom line..Money. They can't make money if they're parent companies aren't making money. The pressure is building to make those seeking alternative lifestyles conform to the norm.

As the title of this states these are my opinions. Just injecting that here.

There are numerous other "little" things going on...ones that we don't see or hear or think about on a daily basis. Or ones we blow off as some day it'll change or the government will back off.

GMOs- these are highly unregulated, at least as to getting into our food sources- the only choices we have are to buy organic and for some this is not an option 100% of the time. Or there are people out there that don't know how dangerous they are- we could argue about being informed but in reality not everyone has the knowledge on How to be informed or they've never learned that they can be informed. And there are those that don't have a choice because they are being held captive- Children in public schools where the only option is to eat what the school serves and the school is serving them what they can afford (not organics- the cheapest bid is always the winner when in comes to all government jobs.). I am not attacking the menu of the schools here, they have the childrens' best interest at heart but are limited in options and hands are tied. The parents of these children do not have the choice to send an organic lunch to school with their kids- it is not allowed. GMOs' chemicals have been found in the blood stream of pregnant, and non pregnant women and their unborn and newborn babies. We have no idea what they (GMOs) are doing to them and us. There is no long term science behind it.

And what about the feeding of antibiotics to live stock in the US. On May 26th, 2011 FoxNews.com posted that several environmental and health-advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the FDA to ban widespread use of ABx in livestock.

"The groups charge that the FDA concluded years ago that large-scale dosing of penicillin and tetracyclines in animal feed was causing bacteria to become resistant to drugs that humans rely on to fight infections, but the government agency failed to act."

The government has an agenda- to make money. This is how the country is run. There is no denying it and no way around it but we are loosing our personal freedoms because of overspending and the need for More. In general the culture of America is about more of everything. But simplicity is making a come back and with it revenue is going down.

The government is there to "protect" us. But what if more and more people are finding they don't want protecting or that we're not being protected by controlled. We are loosing freedoms are a very rapid pace. What can we do? Talk about it, blog about it, post about it- just get word out. Vote about it- vote for those that are really wanting to protect what's important: Our Freedom of choice. That is the biggest thing that sets us apart, what this country was first based upon. We need Representatives with voices- Big voices. Voices that can be heard over the big voices of the companies that really run this country. Think about the choices we have, in all aspects- who we can vote for and what they are taking from us.

Natural living, parenting and lifestyles are a choice, an informed choice, and are being threatened daily. The movement towards these lifestyles is gaining momentum but with that momentum, the speed bumps are becoming more regular. But that's what they are bumps in the road. We have to work at getting over them- together.

Fear, Phobia, Obsession

Fears. Phobias. Obsessions. This is me today. I am completely unable to do much of anything without thinking about our house "guests". I fear they'll get in through the windows or an open door or a crack in the wall somewhere. I keep thinking they'll go berserk from the poison and come after me. I'm afraid to go out on my porch, I have to check before I do at least twice and then when out there I am continuously watching for them....to fall off the roof onto the porch or to the ground three floors below.

I'm paranoid somehow the cats will get a hold of one or the poison we put out or the dog will. Or one of the kids or I'll have to touch it and it'll be on my hands (the poison that is). I don't know how much hand washing it'll take to have all trace amounts gone.

It's very hard to live life with this degree of fear. On a normal everyday basis I do just fine. But put me in a place where I have to deal with it and I can't. I'm on alert constantly. I can feel my heart rate accelerated. I know in my brain, the rational part of it, that I'm being over the top. But I can't stop it. I don't know how to. IF I had the option of fleeing for the day, or till they're gone...I'd be gone in a minute.

Every little sound or movement has me on edge. I have to figure out what it is...there can not be any what ifs. I know I have no control over this. But I can't...I just can't.

Squirrels in the Attic

We discovered we have squirrels (a mother and 4 young ones) living in the floor boards of our attic. The issue, well besides the fact they are horrible pests and can cause huge issues in homes.... Our attic is finished and is where our bedroom is located. AND I have a horrid fear of squirrels. Like sends me into a panic if one gets too close outside, where they belong. Like I make my kids stay far far away from them. Like I can't watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Johnny Depp) without closing my eyes at the squirrel scene.

So the thought of sleeping up there KNOWING they are under me ohhhh I just can't. Can't even THINK about it! The last place we rented had squirrels in the attic too- luckily we lived on the first floor so they weren't an issue for us but the people upstairs had a few incidents where they found them in their bedrooms or woke up to them on their beds!

(Charlie and The Chocolate Factory- Warnerbros.)

Ok so I may get some comments from PITA people on this but the DH went out and got some rat poison and put it out for them. Let me tell you this though- that is a very hard thing for me to do, well to let him do. These are living things I know that and I feel for them- wish they had chosen a different place for their home but they didn't. And we have to do something. This is our only option. We have contacted the rental company but aren't expecting them to do much, if anything. I mean it's been a month that our washer has been acting up and they said they'd be delivering us a new one and still no word on that front. The best we can expect is for them to send someone out to do just what we did- in a month or two.

Now we'll have to figure out how to get them out of the floor when they're gone, if they die inside. But all we can do right now it take it one step at a time. 

Blogger Crash= I Can't Comment

I've found, and have seen a few others notice this too, that since the big Blogger crash a few weeks ago, I can't comment on my own posts. I'm also not able to comment on other Blogger blogs. It gives me the run around with signing in.

I wanted to let you all know that I'm not ignoring any comments you may leave, I wish I could! And I don't think this is an issue the we bloggers can fix ourselves, and will need to be fixed by Blogger. Please continue to comment and as soon as I possibly can I'll comment.

Thursday Recommed: The Paper Mama

I just found today's Thursday Recommend yesterday but I'm so excited about this one I had to share it right away! Having decided to make the leap into starting my own business any and all fellow mama photographers and bloggers make my day. I love being inspired their work and lives. I dream to follow their paths and make it a journey of a life time.

The Paper Mama


She has weekly photo challenges for photographers of all levels, with every few criteria- follow the theme for the week and it must include some part of a kid (not necessarily your child or even a human child), could just be their finger or a wisp of hair. I'm just so into this blog already.

Go check it out! And as always if you have a blog you'd like to recommend please leave a comment with link in the comments below! Happy reading and blogging!

Blue

The Paper Mama's Photo Challenge: BLUE

C's eyes are always a favorite subject of mine. So expressive, so blue (so far my only blue eyed one), and always so Blue- from shades of silver to midnight. Such a perfect time to participate!

A Full Plate

This is my rendition of my plate. Add I just keep adding more. Haha.

It's time for me to make up a new schedule for my daily and weekly routines. It may not be well balanced but I thrive on structure- I can handle bumps but only with a days notice.

Now I just have to schedule in time to make a schedule!

Mom's Day Out: Postponed

Saturday was supposed to be the 1st Mom's Day Out but I had to postpone due to the weather here. A weekend of storms and rain. I obvisiously do not have any of my own photos to share but take a look at the damage that part of our city sustained yesterday. This was a mere 7 miles from our home. And less than a mile from where we lived just a year ago. I'm saddened for those that were affected and grateful for our "luck".

But we (DH and I) did get a lot of much needed cleaning done this weekend. He got all the laundry washed and I folded and put it away (no longer is the pile of Mount Clothing growing in our bedroom! Haha.) He swept, vaccumed (even pulled the area rugs out on the porch and knocked them out), and mopped. I love him helping. He just sometimes get too involved and on top of things and makes me want to run and hide. The house feels so clean. (I do have a few small projects I want to do..like wash the windows, and declutter the buffet- the landing space in our house and will get to them on my time.)

I hope to eek out some time this week to get to Mom's time out.

My New Toy

My DH surprised me with a new toy yesterday- a Camera! A beautiful high(er- much higher) quality. Something I could use to pursue a dream. I wanted to give you a sneak peek of what it can do, or more what I can do with it! (If you can't tell I'm super excited and just can't believe it. He's been saving change and ones for a long time to get this for me. It means so so much.)

Here are a few (unedited- no photoshoping) photos I've gotten!

When Friendships End

I made a very hard choice yesterday.. I choose to end of friendship of 5 years. Normally when my friendships end it's because we just loose contact. I tried not to let that happen with this one. I reached out in ways that had worked before and avoided the ones that hadn't. But this one was causing me a lot of pain. I worried about her and saw her going to places I've seen her in before but knew she would never admit to. (Because I was there just a year ago with her, I tried to reach out then only to hear "I'm fine" but have my suspicions confirmed just a few months later.)

When I called my calls were unanswered and I got a cold shoulder whenever I tried other means. The only way she'd respond was when I needed advice on my life. (This is a very good thing but at the same time not conducive to a meaningful relationship- you start to feel like the only thing you can do is talk about you because they don't want to be open with you or talk about the real them. They avoid topics they don't want to hear about or things you may be seeing in them.) I start to feel like a vampire or leech. But what can you do? Keep pushing till you push them away and really be the "bad" guy? Or try and be the bigger person and say I can't do it anymore? I can't keep putting energy out there and not have it returned or wanted. I can't keep worrying and not be open and honest and say the things that worry me most. We had gotten to that point- where it was all superficious, where "How's the weather treating you?" is as deep as it gets. I don't have many close friends (I have a group of sisters and we are large) so I value them deeply and hurt badly when those friendships end.

At this point in time I am the one in the wrong, because I didn't like being dictated to that I could only text or FB message her, because she states that I had expectations of her always being there for me. But really that was not at all it was about. IT was about her picking and choosing how and when she wanted to be friends. She and I are in similar boats when it comes to finances- neither of us have extra money to spend on anything and I never asked her to go beyond her means (in fact I tried to accommodate her when buying from her business but got burned and am out money) or even make time for us. I know she's busy much like we are. All I really wanted was for her to show that we weren't just FB friends and that our lives were still important. That she valued me as much as I valued her.  I expect people to do what they say they're going to do- swim dates or sleepovers.But I'm selfish like that.

And now I get to walk my youngest daughter through why her daughter is no longer her friend- one of her best friends and longest friend ever. Why her or her mom deleted her off her FB list. She is the biggest victim here. And if I could take it all back, just for her, I would because she matters. And doesn't deserve to be hurting like I am. It's funny the last time my friend and I were together we talked about how one of her daughter's friends had a mother that made so much drama between the girls and acted as if she herself (the mother) was 10. And how it upset her to see her daughter hurt by this little girl and little girl mother. The tables can turn so quickly.

I'm still sad today. I lost one of MY best friends- the woman I asked to be at the birth of both my youngest sons and stand up for me at my wedding. I miss that woman with all my heart. But she hasn't been that woman in a long time.

Thursday Recommends

I follow a lot of different blogs- probably close to 50! And today I'm going to start a new Thursday ritual (hope I remember every Thursday. LOL)....I want to showcase some of them and link you up! (Someday, when I learn how, I'm going to make a button and links, so everyone who'd like can also take Thursday to recommend their favorite bloggers out there!)

So the 1st is by Ashley over at Fridge Magnets.

I found Ashley's blog through Peaceful Parenting, when her letter to her son (on her decision to not circumcise him) was shared by them. Having been a teen mom myself once upon a time, I can relate to her posts but she does something I didn't- she tries to raise him naturally and has a better head about it than I did. I feel every mom deserves and needs support, especially teen moms and teen moms that are trying to go against the grain, stereotypes and the mainstream. So go read her!

If you have a blog you'd like to recommend please add it to the comments below, along with your own blog (if you're a blogger). We can never have enough to read right?!

Wordless Wednesday: Never a Tear was Shed

To My Followers- Old, New, and Just Getting a Taste!

My goodness (did I really just say that! LOL) since participating in the blog party I gained a few followers and gotten more comments than normal! This is all starting to make me feel a bit nervous! LOL I have a very hard time believing what I write is informative or even interesting. So much of it is just me rambling, or venting depending on the day, my mood or any number of little things. And now it feels a bit like I'm being watched ;D. It's exciting and nerve racking (is this even the correct spelling?!- if you read enough of my post you may notice I am a horrid speller, forget to use spell check sometimes, and grammar well this is the most I've written since high school.

Welcome everyone! And thank you for following along! From time to time I feel like I'm getting stale and ask for blog ideas please help in these times of need and post a comment on something you'd like to see or know more about (us). I'm enjoying all the new blogs I'm finding from the blog party and hope to see more!

The Bee Friendly Friday- Following!

Come on over the Crazy About My Baybah  (or you can click the button below!) and join the Bee Friendly Friday Follow! I love doing follows- introduces me to new blogs to read and new parents to learn from! FUN!

Here are a few simple guidelines we encourage you to follow:


1. Add your blog to the linky below.

2. Follow the hosts in the #1 #2 spots and the co-host in the #3 spot!

3. Leave a comment, and we will follow you back! (Please be sure to leave your blog address too!)

4. Grab our new Bee Friendly button to share the fun.

5. Bee Friendly, and visit the blogs that catch your eye.

6. If you get a new follower, Bee Friendly, and return the love!

If you want to post this link up on your site – you can grab the code here!